Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Slime Extermination
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Oakwood's underground sewers were vast and damp.
And the smell was awful.
"Ugh, the smell..."
Sena pinched her nose and muttered.
Water dripped from the ceiling, and the ground underfoot squelched with pooled muck.
[Krrk! My noble nostrils feel like they're rotting away! Let's get out of here quick!]
Even Rodentia was plugging her nose and whining.
"Can you smell it too, Lord?"
Rodentia grumbled in response to Sena's question.
[Of course! And this body is the mother of all rats! Rats have keen noses! Naturally, I sense it even more!]
I readjusted my grip on the crossbow.
"Just bear with it a little longer, Lord! The pay's not great... but it'll cover cheese at least."
[An offering! You haven't forgotten! Squeak! Then for the sake of my devoted apostle, I'll endure!]
Grateful for Rodentia's attitude shift at the word "cheese," we pressed onward.
For this mission, we'd hastily formed a battle line.
Sena up front with her round shield.
Me in the middle with the Rapid Bowgun.
And Mani bringing up the rear in our three-person formation.
Mani had her hammer slung over one shoulder and my old-model crossbow holstered at her waist as a backup weapon.
"You said you'd mod it, and you finished already?"
"Reti made such a solid frame! Just added the stock, tested the string, and half a day was plenty."
I'd just learned that Mani was an adventurer too.
An Iron Rank one, just like us.
She said gathering materials on-site was easier as an adventurer.
[Sena! Isn't it scary in this pitch dark? Pray to the great Rodentia, and I'll bestow the blessing of light!]
Rodentia no longer hid and openly chatted with all three of us.
Of course, Sena was firm.
"I'm fine, Lord! I have the Hearth Goddess!"
[Tch! What's so great about that stuffy fire god...]
Mani might be a better sales target.
She was eyeing Rodentia with curious interest.
"Hmm... a goddess, huh. Lady Rodentia! Can I believe in you?"
[Of course! Naturally! As folk of the earth, you're honorarily Ratkin! Little dwarf! You're already half a splendid rodent!]
"Why's that?"
[You live in burrows and you're short! Truth is, dwarves share ancestors with Ratkin!
It was bizarre logic, but Mani nodded as if it made sense.
"So you're friends with our ancestor god too?"
[Er... we owe her a bit, but yeah, friends!]
As we chattered, our target drew near.
This request came through the guild from Oakwood city officials.
The goal: exterminate the slimes that escaped from the Slime Silk Workshop.
They said we had to deal with them before they overran the sewers.
No mana stones since they were bred ones, but they left tough cores when killed.
"Fill this sack full, and it's mission complete!"
That's when it happened. A squelching sound came from the passage ahead.
"Squeee!"
The slimes' pathetic cries mixed with the sloshing noise.
"Incoming."
Green gelatinous blobs began crawling from the ceiling, walls, and floor.
Dozens of slimes advanced on us.
Fed on sewer filth, they looked twice the size of the usual ones.
"Kinda cute..."
"Yeah."
As Mani and I watched the slimes, Sena drew her sword.
"Hearth Goddess!"
Flames erupted along her blade.
Sena slammed her shield into the ground with a thud and braced herself.
Sensing danger, the pathetic slimes wobbled forward.
"Squeee!"
Thud!
A slime charged straight at her with a body slam.
"Ngh! Heavy!"
It hit the shield with a heavy thump.
"Mani! Reti! Help!"
"Got it!"
Mani and I took aim with our crossbows.
Slimes' weak spot: the clear center of their bodies.
I pulled the lever on the Rapid Bowgun.
Click! Thunk! Click! Thunk! Click! Thunk!
Bolts fired in rapid succession, piercing the slimes' centers precisely.
Thanks to Rodentia's blessing?
No jams or issues.
Psssh!
The struck slimes burst like soap bubbles and melted away.
"My turn!"
Mani's dwarven steel crossbow launched a powerful bolt.
Ping!
Even stronger.
Boom!
The bolt pierced two before stopping.
"Amazing!"
"Reti's crossbow's the real star!"
We tore through the sewers in perfect sync.
Sena cleared the path, Mani and I finished with bolts—a flawless two-stage combo.
In under two hours, the sack brimmed with slime cores.
Only one issue.
"Whew... so sticky..."
Retrieving bolts meant wiping off goo each time.
[Behold! This is the horde's might! Gather more Ratkin, apostle! Build an army like this and conquer dungeons!]
"An army might be a stretch..."
We'd gone quite a ways when...
A sewer junction swarming especially thick with slimes.
In the center, a black wooden stake was jammed into the floor.
A scrap of cloth with creepy red runes hung from it like a flag.
"What's this?"
An ominous aura hung in the air.
Sena frowned.
She approached the flag cautiously.
Her holy emblem at her waist trembled faintly, glowing dimly.
"Gasp... the emblem!"
Sena's face twisted.
"Reti! Mani! There's a weird energy here! Might be demonic!"
Rodentia lowered her voice in warning.
[Ah! Be careful, apostle! I sense evil power!]
[That's a totem infused with foul sorcery! It might be why slimes are drawn here!]
Sure enough, slimes swirled around the totem like they were dancing.
I yanked out my hand axe without hesitation and uprooted it.
The red aura around the flag dispersed and vanished.
Feeling uneasy, I wrapped it tightly in cloth and stowed it in my bag.
Back at the guild, the receptionist greeted us coolly.
"Already back? Giving up?"
"Nah, we got 'em all."
I thumped the sack of slime cores onto the floor.
Being short, it looked impressive from her standing height—her eyes went wide.
Checking the records, she couldn't hide her shock.
"Before lunch? All of them? Impossible..."
I shrugged and pulled the wrapped totem from my bag.
"Proof's in the sack. Oh, and this."
"What trash..."
She gasped at the grotesque red eye rune on the flag.
Her face paled.
"Wait here."
The receptionist snatched the totem and rushed to the back office.
Soon, a middle-aged man descended from the second-floor stairs.
"Isn't that..."
"The guild master? Saw him when the military police came."
The guild master himself calling us in? What was this?
The guild master's office reeked of tobacco smoke.
He set the totem on his desk, sat us down, and asked gravely.
"Where'd you find this?"
"Deep in the sewers. Third junction? Slimes were thick there."
He sighed deeply at my answer.
"Got it. Don't breathe a word of this anywhere. The guild'll handle it. Pay'll be generous."
He rummaged through files and added.
"Reti, Sena, Mani. Pretty diligent for Iron Rank. Skilled too. Knock out three or four more requests like this, and I'll fast-track your Bronze promotion exam."
"Really?!"
Sena's tail wagged with joy. Unexpected offer.
"Yeah. But keep this quiet. Got it?"
"Yes!"
We left the guild buzzing with excitement.
A bit uneasy, but we brushed it off.
'Probably some shady mage's prank.'
But cash came first now.
Time to prep for the next adventure proper.
To arm the whole party with Rapid Bowguns and secure steady meals?
"There's ways to earn besides requests!"
Sena tapped the slate and explained.
"Says here collecting materials pays decent. Low difficulty, worth a shot?"
Before Bronze Rank, requests aside, low-level material gathering kept you fed.
Mana Stone Beetle shells, goblin ears, claws or fur from mid-level Glowing Cave critters.
All sold for coin.
"Goblin ears to the tax office for pocket change. Rest to the market."
Mani returned from scouting market prices.
"If we three hustle all day, we can manage!"
"How much?"
"This Glowing Cave monster's fur: five coppers peeled clean. That one's ten..."
"Good days, up to three silvers!"
Mani spread all ten fingers.
I scribbled figures with charcoal on paper.
Results: underwhelming.
"Eh, barely matches a laborer's daily wage for five days a week."
Sena's face fell at my words.
"Ugh... adventuring's tough... We three work that hard just for this."
"It's fine! Bronze Rank pays better. Relics? Jackpot!"
Yeah, that was key.
Bronze meant real monster hunts, escorts—better pay.
That cash bought gear faster, let us hit riskier dungeons, labyrinths, hunting grounds.
"Glowing Cave first."
"Hobgoblins? We bail."
"Obviously!"
Plus, my Horned Rat handled traps and ambushes easy.
The night before departure, we huddled on the inn beds, peering at Sena's magic slate.
(Info) Tax Collectors Coming Tomorrow Morning
Author: pale_skeleton
Tax collectors getting busy off this firearm incident excuse.
Starting tomorrow, squeezing adventurers leaving dungeons for extra coin with bullshit.
Head in early morning, out before sunset. Don't get tangled, it's a hassle.
Small dungeons fine—no manpower to bother 'em.
Crazy;; pulling all stunts for taxes.
Wow, solid info thanks.
They hitting Glowing Cave too?
pale_skeleton: Don't sweat small ones, rule is they skip 'em. Like eating flea livers.
I muttered at the slate.
"Same guy who posted that popular tip last time?"
"Yeah."
"Seems like he always nails it."
Sena said, intrigued.
Few glimpses, but his info was always spot-on and timely.
Whoever he was, he knew guild and official insides cold.
"Alright. Dawn departure tomorrow. Beat the tax collectors to work."
We packed hastily.
Sun just setting outside, but early bed for early work.
[Good! Early birds get the cheese first! Sleep well!]
"Yes, good night, Lord."
"Oh! Right, pray to the Hearth Goddess before bed..."
[What about me? No evening prayer?]
Sena stared at Rodentia mid-pose.
Mani, who'd closed her eyes awkwardly, peeked open.
Me and the two girls locking eyes.
'Didn't offer cheese tonight?'
'Yeah.'
Rodentia gazed at us with sparkling expectant eyes.
Better safe.
"Slipped my mind, Lord. Prayer time. Same as morning?"
[Yes! Don't forget evening prayers from now on!]
Mani and I began.
Mani roped in unexpectedly.
"Lord of the Hamster Wheel..."
The evening inn room filled with solemn prayers for a while.